


Forget Me Not

by trebleklef



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Amnesia, Car Accidents, Graphic Description, Hospitalization, M/M, Modern Era, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 09:57:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19788523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trebleklef/pseuds/trebleklef
Summary: A horrible car accident lands both Niles and Leo in the ER with varying injuries





	Forget Me Not

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by @pulpodraws on twitter and this GENEROUS BASTARD SUPPORTED ME A WHOLE BUNCH WHEN THEY DIDNT HAVE TO SO... THIS WAS THEIR IDEA. They have full credit for Niles' modern name, while Leo's was my idea.  
> also the depiction of the car accident is VERY GRAPHIC so please be warned. I was in an actual accident so it feels fairly real to the audience so please be advised.

The shock was so incredibly deafening that Niles could have sworn his ears were ringing. The sickening crunch of metal and the taste of iron in his mouth were nothing compared to the ringing. His vision blurred and any words that came out of his mouth were incoherent to himself, much less his passenger.

By the time the kinetic energy from the hit has been completely used up, Niles had been holding the steering wheel tight enough to cause his hands to go numb. He could feel how deep the seatbelt had cut into him, and could feel the blood from the impact of his head against the wheel dripping down his face. He cared very little for himself, his seeing eye darting across the dashboard where heaps of broken windshield glass sat. He could feel his heart beating in his throat, adrenaline and anxiety taking over his entire being. He looked over at Leo, who was in worse off condition. He was unconscious, blood running down his face. The airbags didn’t deploy and Niles could feel his blood run cold. He tore off the seatbelt and moved around the damaged front end of the car to get a better look at Leo’s head and hesitated to move him. His mind told him that paramedics would be arriving to the scene if anyone had the decency to call them and they could move him safely and properly. His heart, however, liked to argue back to that logic.

Full of adrenaline and fear, he kicked open the dented in door and rushed out of the damaged vehicle to get the other door open. The car had been hit from his side, but multiple vehicles had collided and the dents in the metal made it almost impossible to open anything on hinges. His seeing eye followed the trails of metal and carbon fibre steel leading back to where his car had been struck. The other vehicle, a much larger one in fact, had completely folded in on itself much like an accordion. Niles had wondered just how fast the other car was going and how he was still standing after the impact. That thought mattered not, he had other priorities. Had anyone called emergency services? Had anyone documented the accident?

It felt like an eternity until an ambulance had arrived to the scene. Niles couldn’t even hear the siren, shock still plaguing his hearing. It was almost as if he had two cotton balls lodged in his ears. All he could hear was ringing and his own heartbeat still. All he could do was watch the scene unfold before him, unable to do a single thing to help. He stared daggers as another paramedic team assisted the other vehicle’s driver out of the mass of bent metal and plastic. He felt as though the person who caused the accident deserved no help.

He sat watching helplessly from the back of the ambulance as the paramedic team helped Leo out of his damaged car. He worried that he could have very well killed Leo with the maneuver he had to pull to get out of the heaviest of the traffic. Until he knew for certain, he couldn’t sit still. He watched in half hearted hope as the paramedics gently placed him upon a gurney. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as the paramedics stopped at just that. No blanket over his face, nothing to signify that he wasn’t going to make it. They carefully put a medical collar on his neck to support his head and prevent any further damage. Niles could feel his heart bean in his throat as they moved him about. He practically leapt out of the way as they loaded the gurney onto the ambulance.

Shock had still left him unable to hear anything that the paramedics had said to him. He understood something about needing to speak with police, but it was unlikely that he and his passenger could do that in this state. He thought there were a lot of questions directed at his driving rather than the person who had caused the accident. It felt insulting and brash that he was put in to question when he and Leo could have very well died from the impact.

Due to the shock, another paramedic suggested that Niles join Leo in that particular ambulance. For all they could have known, Niles could have sustained far more severe injuries but the shock and adrenaline may have subsided any pain. He agreed that it would be best, but the fact remained that he did not want to leave Leo’s side for a moment. He felt extreme guilt, despite none of the incident being his fault. He did, however, question the paramedic’s knowledge on the accident for he was blamed by a couple of them from the other ambulance. It was as if the other driver neglected responsibility once he saw that Niles was blind in one of his eyes. Lack of depth perception didn’t cause the vehicle to get T-boned when he had right of way, he thought.

Once the two paramedics closed the ambulance doors, they attempted to have Niles lay down on a gurney as well for safety. He outright refused, wanting nothing more than to stay by Leo’s side. It hurt him so deep to see Leo decorated in medical equipment. He knew the two of them would get separated once they got to the hospital, so he made the time worth while. He didn’t even know if he would see Leo again after this moment, and it ate at him. The way the paramedics had been talking gave him little hope on the situation, saying that he had hit his head hard enough to cause permanent damage. Another had added that the shock could have very well killed him as well from the airbags not deploying. There was fault placed on Niles’ car, his driving ability and of course the other driver involved in the accident. He couldn’t understand why there was the need to gossip about a serious accident. Their jobs were to save lives, not judge them for the accidents they get into.

Sound had started to return to Niles as he heard the fairly rhythmic heart monitor and engine of the ambulance. He could feel his own pain start to have its own effect on him, his arm feeling especially sharp and painful. He continued to ignore his own pain, having the paramedics focus on Leo after all the comments that they had made. He held onto Leo’s hand lightly, hoping that he could give some of his own strength to him in turn. He wanted nothing more than to swap places with Leo on that gurney. He wished he could take away all the pain and all the wounds from him. It wasn’t fair that the passenger in the vehicle sustained more damaged than the driver who sustained most of the impact. He fully intended on pressing charges against the other driver and suing him for everything he had.

The ride was over in an instant and the paramedics had already begun to process Leo into the emergency room from the vehicle. Niles couldn’t help but stare blankly as they hurried around the two of them. Leo was rushed into the building first and Niles thought it necessary. Niles followed close behind, on foot despite the paramedics urging him to at least let them push him in on a wheelchair. His own stubbornness was probably making whatever injuries he had sustained worse, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t in the same position as Leo and if he had to wait so that Leo could receive the treatment he needed, then so be it.

Because he was the only one of the two of them that was conscious, Niles had to see the triage nurse for both of them. It was unlikely that the paramedics could describe anything else other than the state he was in. He very well knew that he would need to have health cards and insurance information but the seriousness of the situation allowed the two to bypass any of the usual procedures. He very well knew that Leo’s wallet was still in the car anyway so the likelihood of him having the necessary information was slim.

“Alright dear,” the triage nurse began. “I’ll need both of your names for your charts.”

Niles couldn’t help but note how sweet the lady was.

“I’m guessing you need full names, huh?” Niles asked sheepishly.

“Yes dear,” she nodded. “Although if there is a problem, I can just use a preferred name on the chart.”

“Ah… right,” Niles said, fishing around in his pocket for his wallet. “I’m guessing you know the circumstances huh?

The nurse nodded, noting how uncomfortable Niles was. She typed some information into her computer before giving Niles her undivided attention.

“Yes, I do. The driver in the other vehicle was triaged not too long ago,” she said, subtly pointing at a grumpy man in the waiting area. “His injuries were not serious enough to see right away. We received a call about the vehicle you and your friend were in and you two needed to be seen first.”

Niles couldn’t help but smirk. Karma was definitely his leading lady today.

“Were you the driver or the passenger your vehicle?” the nurse asked.

“Ah- I was the driver,” Niles explained, setting his health card on the desk. “The blond guy was my passenger.” Niles couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of his blood-soaked blond hair. “His full name is Leonardo Scholz, although he just goes by Leo.”

The nurse nodded sweetly and began to type the information into her computer, repeating the name to herself so that she would not forget it.

“Luckily I have your card here so I don’t need to ask,” she noted, copying down Niles’ name into the computer.

“Alright Mr. Rios, since we couldn’t get your vitals in the ambulance, I’m going to get them from you now. One of the paramedics noted that one of your arms was possibly broken in the accident, could you please tell me which one that is?” she asked, bringing around a small cart with a blood pressure device, a stethoscope and several other medical instruments on it.

“My left, I think,” Niles replied, trying to move it to no avail.

“Alright. I’ll put the blood pressure cuff on the right. I don’t wish to cause you any more pain,” the nurse said, gently sliding the cuff up Niles’ right arm. He couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by how sweet and caring the nurse was. She wasn’t wearing name badge or ID card, and he felt bad that he couldn’t thank her by name. He had heard horror stories of being rushed into the ER only to be met with extremely unpleasant people.

The nurse then took the rest of his vitals in the most routine way, then made note of his right eye. She hadn’t made a comment, but the look on her face spoke volumes to Niles. He was just hoping that she wouldn’t make the same assumption one of the paramedics did. There was a very good reason he always drove with a passenger, he thought.

“Alright, we’ll see you in right away to do further assessment,” the nurse said, after affixing a medical ID wristband on Niles’ left wrist.

“What about Leo?” Niles asked almost instantly.

“I do understand your concern, and he is in emergency care as we speak. If anything comes up, I’ll send someone to let you know,” she said, placing her hand gently on Niles’. The touch was enough to give him some sort of relief.

Another nurse had arrived to escort Niles into the emergency wing after the nurse had been concerned about the possibility of a concussion. Niles put a hand to his head after hearing that the possibility of another brain injury on his hands. He closed his eyes in frustration. He was torn from his moment of frustration by a very timid tap on his shoulder from the younger nurse.

Niles looked up to see a rather good-looking young man standing before him, offering his hand to help him up off the triage chair. Niles thought it to be quite amusing that he could finally brag about having a sexy nurse. The two of them walked into the emergency wing, slowly and carefully. Niles had to lean against the wall, the initial shock finally wearing off and the pain of the impact suddenly and slowly began to set in. He felt terrible for gripping onto the nurse’s hand hard enough to cause him pain, but he insisted that it was necessary for Niles as the patient. _How is this guy such a sweetheart?_ Niles thought to himself. He knew just how many unruly people this guy has had to deal with and it was amazing that he kept up his kindness for everyone. A job like that could kill a person’s kindness easily.

He walked by some emergency surgery rooms and felt his heart sink. He wanted nothing more than to peek inside them to see where Leo was, his safety being on the forefront of his mind. He just had to wait until he heard from the staff. But it ate at him to just sit and wait. He had his own injuries to deal with but he didn’t care about himself when he knew that Leo had it so much worse. The wait would be an eternity.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * 

It had been at least two hours since he had been treated and he still heard nothing. He had no way of getting home or even getting a hotel for the night to wait. He had no choice but the rest in the waiting room at the hospital, despite the staff’s behest. He had a confirmed concussion and broken arm, and the tile floor or waiting room chairs were no place for him to rest. He was too stubborn to leave. He wanted nothing more than to see if Leo was okay and would not rest until he heard something. Anything.

Concern was growing in the nurses’ station when other patients began to leave the emergency department, leaving Niles alone in the waiting room. It was unusually quiet for a summer night in the hospital, but maybe it was for the best. It was at least quiet so if he wanted to rest, he could have. He had been staring at the plasma screens in the waiting area showing the news and the others showing the waiting times and information about the hospital. Niles could have sworn that he had memorized most of the information on the hospital info screens and had seen the same news stories at least four times over.

He could feel the exhaustion begin to creep up on him, the concussion not helping the situation. He had felt bad for keeping a trashcan so close to him, but it saved on making a mess of the floor. There were a few thoughts about resting right on the floor since on one else was around, but it didn’t seem like a wise idea seeing how there were at least seven fairly sick kicks running around in the waiting room earlier. He didn’t even have his phone on him so he couldn’t contact anyone to come pick him up. Not that he should be staring at his phone screen in that moment anyway. The large lights in the hospital waiting room didn’t help much either. All he could do was cover his seeing eye and hope that the darkness would aid his nauseous in one way or another.

As soon as he closed his eyes, the nurse called him from the triage station. The sound of his name was enough to cause him to bolt up out of his seat, which he later regretted as he reached for his new trash can friend. The triage nurse urged him to take things slowly, which Niles did not heed. He knew why he was being called and he knew he had to rush to get there.

“Slow down there Mr. Rios. You can’t afford to make your head injury worse,” the nurse said, rushing to Niles’ aid when he began to stagger.

“I… You know how worried I am right?” Niles asked, sounding like a wounded animal.

She sighed and provided him with support until he could reach a wall. “Right this way. I will warn you though he seems to be… very out of it.”

“Out of it?” Niles asked, placing his hand firmly on the wall.

“Yes… that is one way to describe it,” the nurse said, writing something down on what seemed to be Leo’s chart. Niles could hardly read anything that was written on it, his head spinning enough as it was.

“W-Would you prefer a wheelchair sir?” the other nurse from early asked, noting how badly Niles was staggering even against the wall.

“No, I should be fine. Have had a lot worse,” Niles said, realizing how bad it sounded to health care professionals.

“I urge you to at least take the offer… You do have quite the head injury,” the nurse said, quickly wheeling a wheelchair. Niles knew that he stood no chance against that nurse’s kindness and good looks. He cursed himself for being such a sucker for a cute guy.

He took the offer and slowly lowered himself into the wheelchair and the world started to spin slower. He put a hand to his head as it started to feel as though a pulse had developed. He could tell the two nurses were concerned that he was only making his condition worse but he was a stubborn ass and there was nothing that they could do to stop him.

The two nurses accompanied him to the ICU and Niles’ concern only grew. Intensive care? Gods, what had happened to him to cause him to be in intensive care? His concern caught the attention of the young nurse and he gave Niles a reassuring smile.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean bad things. This is just where patients go to spend the night. More privacy you know?” he said, trying his best to keep the stubborn man seated in the wheelchair.

“If… you insist,” Niles said, his unrest incredibly evident to the two nurses. He was trying his best to stay cordial but his worry was turning him into an asshole.

The older nurse knew that Niles was increasingly concerned and was able to take his attitude with a grain of salt but the younger nurse was starting to feel a little overwhelmed from Niles. This of course, made Niles feel awful about the way he was treating him. Curse his stubbornness.

Eventually the three of them stopped at one particular room in the ICU. Niles practically leapt out of the wheelchair to open the door. The older nurse put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, and she opened the door quietly. Niles of course stood up out of the wheelchair and placed a hand on the wall to support himself as he walked over to Leo laying on the hospital bed.

Leo was awake, that much was evident. He was covered in bruises and there was a bandage wrapped around his head through his messy blond hair. But the thing that tore at Niles’ heart strings is that he was staring at him in confusion. Why were his maroon eyes staring at him as though he was a stranger? Niles looked back at the two nurses, the older one giving him a look of sympathy. Was this what she meant?

“L-Leo are you alright?” Niles stammered, leaning on the bedside table.

“I-I’m sorry but…” Leo struggled to even answer him. He was struggling to find words, stammering and fidgeting. It broke Niles’ heart.

“But?” Niles asked, feeling his heart beating in his throat in anxiety.

“I… don’t know who you are,” Leo murmured, shying away into his blankets.

Niles could almost hear his heart shattering against the floor. “W-What do you mean? Its me.”

Leo continued to stare at Niles with confusion and somewhat abject fear in his eyes. Niles’ guilt was rising in his throat. He backed up, reaching for something to hold onto and the younger of the two nurses ran to his aid.

“So… This is what you meant,” Niles muttered.

“He appears to have some memory loss… But its not permanent,” the older nurse noted.

Niles looked back to Leo, who was looking at both nurses in confusion. Niles felt bad that Leo looked terrified at everything around him, his big maroon eyes darting between Niles and the two nurses.

“Leo I’m… I’m so sorry,” Niles said, feeling so incredibly guilty for Leo’s injuries.

“I-I don’t understand why you’re apologizing…” Leo said.

“I suppose you don’t remember huh,” Niles laughed sadly.

“N-No I don’t…” Leo said, hands gripping at the white sheets. “I… don’t really remember much right now.”

Niles cocked his head to the side, not quite understanding what he meant.

“He can’t remember who he is either. The shock and the impact did it to him. But the doctor did say that his memory is going to return. It just might… take a while,” The younger nurse explained.

“Ah well… nothing to be too concerned about then,” Niles said, sounding somewhat relieved. “Hey I suppose you don’t mind if I stay with you, do you?” He asked Leo, being considerate to the fact that Leo couldn’t remember him, much less himself.

“W-Well… you know me so… I suppose I can trust you,” Leo said, his grip on the sheets loosening.

“Well I’m glad I still appear trustworthy,” Niles joked in poor taste. Leo just let out a nervous laugh and seemed to almost regret the decision.

“If… you can help me remember I’ll take the chance,” Leo said, sounding a bit bolder.

Both nurses sighed in relief and left the two of them for the night after bringing an additional cot into the room.

“I feel like I can trust you unconditionally,” Leo explained, placing a hand on his head. Niles delicately placed his on hand on Leo’s.

“Well at least I know I’m doing something right,” Niles said, offering Leo a kind smile. Leo couldn’t help but smile back, almost thanking him for staying by his side. Despite the guilt that Niles had felt, he knew he could fix things just the same.


End file.
